Hi I started taking 40mg Simavastatin - after a few weeks I had severe pains in my legs and shoulders - even the joints felt sore and I had problems getting in and out of the bath or climbing steps - my doctor laughed at me and said that statins did not effect he joints and that it was probably a virus - so I started taking it again - but the symptons returned and I even found that I had difficulty in walking and my hips hurt - so I stopped and the symptons subsided - it really affected my quality of life - I thought I would end up in a wheelchair - so its back to the doctor again this week - but whatever happens I will not be taking the Simvastatin at 40mg - interestingly my sister has had the same experiences with this statin and she put it down to old age - she has also stopped traking it and finds she can now get up and down stairs much easier
If you feel that a symptom is due to a side effect of a medicine that you have taken then you may wish to report it to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) via their yellow card scheme - http://www.mhra.gov.uk/home/idcplg?IdcService=SS_GET_PAGE&nodeId=276
Patient Admin
It's well documented that statins in higher doses cause muscle pain.
I was prescribed them after a triple bypass and could not tolerate them at all.
I do accept that they control high cholesterol levels but at what cost to the quality of your life.
After trying various brands, lipitor, zocor and pravastatin I ended up refusing to try any others as I had the same reaction to them all.
I now take ezitimbe which is not a statin but it seems to work for me and has little or no side effects.
[quote:79fbe66c48=\"lona\"]It's well documented that statins in higher doses cause muscle pain.
I was prescribed them after a triple bypass and could not tolerate them at all.
I do accept that they control high cholesterol levels but at what cost to the quality of your life.
After trying various brands, lipitor, zocor and pravastatin I ended up refusing to try any others as I had the same reaction to them all.
I now take ezitimbe which is not a statin but it seems to work for me and has little or no side effects.
See my reply to post on 'Side Effects of Statins'.